Go to Sleep, Gecko! Bali – Indonesia One night, Gecko woke Lioness, who was the coordinator of the village, to complain bitterly: ‘Lioness, my friend, would you please say something to Firefly? She keeps me awake all night, turning on and off her little light … now yes–now no–now yes–now no …’ …
The Community of the Round Table Celtic Tradition – Britain and France Arthur had been silent for a long time as he watched, with a reflective half-smile, the knights and ladies gathered in the great hall of Camelot. He enjoyed the meetings of the Round Table community, especially the annual Pentecost meetings, when all…
The Bull That Won a Bet Indian Buddhism A long, long time ago, in the lands of Gandhara, in northern India, there was a town named Takkasila. In that town was born, in the form of a bull, a being who centuries later would be known as the Buddha. There he performed a wonder…
Supriya’s Bowl Indian Buddhism Times of hardship bring out the best, and the worst, from the human soul, as illustrated by this particular story that took place long ago, at a time when Buddha was traveling through the lands of India. A famine had fallen on the peoples of the region. The rains did…
People of Peace Scotland Once in Scotland there was a bonny bay, between two arms of rock, looking out to the sea. There was a fine sandy beach, and above it a row of small cottages. Stuck in the sand were the bones of an old boat, washed ashore long ago. And beyond the…
The Storyteller and the Samurai Japan In ancient Japan, after the Warring States period, came a time of relative peace and the once dangerous adventure of traveling from one city to another became a much less risky undertaking. And so it was that an old master storyteller took the opportunity to tour around some…
The Mandarin Ducks and the Samurai Zen Buddhism – Japan In ancient Japan, in a lagoon near what is now Maizuru, north of Kyoto, lived a pair of mandarin ducks. It was spring, and they had recently hatched their young. The male still had his spectacular colours –his dark orange beard, his green, blue…
The Wicked Fairies France Once upon a time, there were two young Fairies named Carabosse and Follette. They were both so malicious and wicked that the Fairy Queen banished them from her Court. So they fell to earth and wandered around, seeing how much mischief they could do to mortals. Now it happened that…
The Way Forward (Section 1a) As never before in history, common destiny beckons us to seek a new beginning. Such renewal is the promise of these Earth Charter principles. (Section 1b) To fulfill this promise, we must commit ourselves to adopt and promote the values and objectives of the Charter. (Section 2a) This…
Principle 16 – Promote a culture of tolerance, nonviolence, and peace. a). Encourage and support mutual understanding, solidarity, and cooperation among all peoples and within and among nations. b). Implement comprehensive strategies to prevent violent conflict and use collaborative problem solving to manage and resolve environmental conflicts and other disputes. c). Demilitarize national…
